Jackson woman disputes $1,100 water bill

JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
High water bills have taken a toll on a Jackson woman and now she's looking for answers.

She says the rates have tripled in her neighborhood, but her latest bill leads her to believe it's a glitch in the system. She called 3 On Your Side for some help.

"1,100 dollars, I'm not rich we struggling to pay bills," said Jacqueline Johnson who is disputing the high bill.

Johnson says it went down from $1,500.

"They said they will send someone out to check the meter to find out if there was a leak in the meter and it was," Johnson explained. "The leak was due to the pipe that was busted on the ground."

The leak was fixed, and the city promised her an adjustment, but Johnson says her bill never went down.

"Kept going up and I was waiting on the adjustment letter to see exactly how much they was going to take off," said Johnson. "As I'm waiting on the adjustment letter, the bill steadily going up."

So Johnson refused to pay. She was promised an adjustment letter in August once she proved the leak was fixed and finally received one on December 12.

"I said, it takes 4 months for you all to adjust a bill," said Johnson. "That's odd, something is wrong, and so that's why I didn't make a payment because I'm waiting on the adjustment letter to see how much my bill going to be."

Her balance kept accumulating and Johnson was credited $228 dollars, but she feels like it's not enough. The city is looking into her claims.

"I can't get no real answers from the city," added Johnson. "I even called the mayors action hotline and so they said someone will call me back but no one hasn't so I thought about 3 On Your Side. They can help me."

The city released this statement Tuesday night about Johnson's claim:

“We will review Ms. Johnson billing statement. Additionally, two representatives from Constituent Services will meet with Ms. Johnson on Wednesday. We encourage all City of Jackson water customers to contact the Water Sewer Business Administration when they have questions and concerns about their bills.”

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File). FILE - In this May 22, 2018 file photo, actor Morgan Freeman attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala in New York. Freeman is apologizing to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior....

Actor Morgan Freeman has apologized for making anyone feel uneasy, in the wake of a CNN report in which multiple women accused him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.More >>

Actor Morgan Freeman has apologized for making anyone feel uneasy, in the wake of a CNN report in which multiple women accused him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.More >>